Universities as sites of diplomacy and foreign policy making
- ALESSANDRA RUSSO, University of Trento
Abstract
Entanglements between international politics, (cultural and science) diplomacy and the internationalization of higher education are not new. They are indeed particularly visible during and after major conflicts. The complex nexus between education, knowledge production and circulation, conflict and peace in post-war contexts has received much attention in the past two decades. This presentation will particularly focus on how these phenomena unfolds in Eastern Europe, Southern Caucasus and Central Asia, trying to tease out the impact on the war in Ukraine on such a complex landscape. Special attention will be paid to the changing conditions of transnational collaborations and partnerships in research and teaching activities; changing conditions of (safe) access to research sites and “gatekeepers; changing conditions of academic solidarity in conflict-affected countries (i.e., “displaced universities”).
